Mérida oryzomys facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mérida oryzomys |
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|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Nephelomys
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| Species: |
meridensis
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| Synonyms | |
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Oryzomys meridensis Thomas, 1894 |
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The Mérida oryzomys (scientific name: Nephelomys meridensis) is a type of rodent (a group of mammals like mice and rats). It belongs to a group called Nephelomys and is part of the Cricetidae family, which includes hamsters and voles. You can find this small animal living in the cloud forests of western Venezuela, specifically in the Sierra Nevada de Mérida mountains. It lives at high places, from about 1,100 to 4,000 meters above sea level. This animal prefers to live alone, is active at night (nocturnal), and spends its time on the ground. It eats many different kinds of food.
Contents
What Does the Mérida Oryzomys Look Like?
The Mérida oryzomys has thick fur, which can be about 11 millimeters long on its back. The fur on its upper body is a reddish-brown color. Its head is more brown, and the color gets lighter towards its sides.
Fur and Body Colors
The fur on its belly is greyish and is clearly different from the color on its back. It even has a pure white patch on its chest. Its ears are quite large and have thin, dark hairs covering them.
Paws and Tail
Its hands and feet are whitish and don't have much hair. The tail is brown on top and a bit lighter underneath. It also doesn't have much fur.
Special Features
Inside its mouth, it has short openings in the roof called incisive foramina, which are located in front of its molars (back teeth).
Size of the Mérida Oryzomys
The very first Mérida oryzomys ever studied (called the holotype) had these measurements:
- Its head and body together were about 139 millimeters (about 5.5 inches) long.
- Its tail was about 143 millimeters (about 5.6 inches) long.
- Its back foot was about 30.7 millimeters (about 1.2 inches) long.
- Its ear was about 21 millimeters (about 0.8 inches) long.
- Its skull (head bone) was about 34.5 millimeters (about 1.4 inches) long.
How the Mérida Oryzomys Got Its Name
The Mérida oryzomys was first described in 1894 by a scientist named Oldfield Thomas. He gave it the name Oryzomys meridensis. He thought it was similar to two other species, O. albigularis and O. velutinus.
Changes in Classification
Over the next 20 years, more similar species were found. In 1944, another scientist, Philip Hershkovitz, decided that all these similar animals were actually just one species, O. albigularis.
Becoming Its Own Species Again
However, in the 1990s, scientists looked more closely at the Mérida oryzomys. They found differences in its karyotype (the way its chromosomes are arranged) and its morphology (its body shape and measurements). Because of these differences, it was decided that Nephelomys meridensis was its own separate species again, not part of O. albigularis or O. caracolus.
New Genus, Same Species
In 2006, the group of O. albigularis species was moved into a new genus called Nephelomys. The Mérida oryzomys kept its status as a separate species, now known as Nephelomys meridensis.
